Bumblebees are easily distinguished from
other bees by their relatively large size and black and yellow
coloration. The bees feed by collecting protein rich pollen and sweet
nectar from flowers and in the process act as pollinators for the
plants. In fact bees are the most
important pollinators on the planet, without whom many species of plant
could not survive. Since many animals (including humans) rely on these
plants for food, it is difficult to overstate the role these insects
play in the ecosystem.

The area around Tucson Arizona is
thought to host more species of bees than anywhere else in the
world, with the possible exception of some of the desert areas
near Israel.

Bumblebees are social bees, and live in burrows (a
crevice or abandoned mouse hole). Colonies are established each year in
the spring by a queen bee who lays all the eggs in the colony. The first
bees to emerge are workers who help care for and feed the brood. Males
and queens hatch near the end of the cycle and after mating, new queens
will find a place to hibernate underground until the following spring
when the cycle begins again.